Business, General Tips, Your Event Career
How to Brand Your Event Planning Business
When you’re starting your own event planning business, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is how to brand it. After all, potential clients want to know that they can trust you with their big day. Plus, you want people to be able to differentiate your business from all the others out there. But what if you don’t actually know how to brand your event planning business?
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
In this article, we’ll provide a comprehensive guide on how to brand your event planning business from start to finish. We’ll cover everything from choosing a name and logo to creating a marketing strategy that will set you apart from the competition. So, whether you’re a long-time event planner or have no experience whatsoever, this article is for you!
On that note, let’s get started!
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What Is Branding in Event Planning?
First things first: let’s define what we mean by “branding.” Branding is the process of creating a unique identity for your business that sets it apart from the competition. This includes everything from your business name and logo to your marketing strategy and company values. In other words, your brand is what makes you recognizable and memorable to potential clients.
Why Is Branding Important For Event Planners?
Now that we know what branding is, let’s talk about why it’s so important for event planners. After all, there are a lot of event planning businesses out there. So, what makes yours special?
Well, the answer is simple: branding helps you to stand out from the crowd.
By creating a strong brand identity, you’ll be able to attract the right clients and grow your business more effectively. And, as your business grows, your brand will become even more valuable—so it’s definitely worth investing in from the start!
Furthermore, proper branding will help you to:
- Build loyalty among customers
- Make your business more recognizable
- Attract and retain employees (should you ever decide to build your very own team)
- Attract sponsors, venues, vendors, and suppliers
- Develop a strong company culture
- Increase your overall profitability
As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to brand your event planning business. And, trust us, it’s not as difficult as it might seem!
What Are The 4 Main Steps Of Branding?
Now that we know the importance of branding, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how to actually do it. When it comes to branding your event planning business, there are 4 key steps you’ll need to take:
- Choose a catchy name and create a unique logo.
- Develop a marketing strategy that reflects your brand identity.
- Create compelling content that showcases your expertise.
- Promote your brand through social media and other channels.
We’ll go into more detail about each of these steps shortly!
Developing Your Brand Guidelines
Before we break down how to brand your event planning business, we first want to note the importance of putting together brand guidelines. These are the rules that will govern how your brand is used—from the colors and fonts you use in your marketing materials to the tone of voice you use on social media.
Creating brand guidelines can seem like a daunting task, but there are a few simple steps you can follow to make the process easier:
- Start with a template: There are a number of templates available online that you can use to create your brand guidelines. This can be a great way to get started, as it will give you an idea of what information to include.
- Keep it simple: You don’t need to include every single detail in your brand guidelines—just the most important information that will help people understand and use your brand correctly.
- Be consistent: Once you’ve created your brand guidelines, make sure to stick to them! Consistency is key when it comes to branding! So, make sure everyone who is working on behalf of your company is familiar with your guidelines and knows how to apply them.
Oberlo has a list of 15 excellent examples of brand guidelines that we definitely recommend checking out. While you’re at it, it’s also worth checking out this list of 70+ branding guidelines templates (courtesy of Venngage).
How to Brand Your Event Planning Business: The Ultimate Guide
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s move on to the fun part: creating your brand!
Step 1: Choosing a Business Name and Logo
When it comes to branding your event planning business, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is choosing a name and logo. After all, these are the first things potential clients will see. As such, you want to make sure they’re memorable and reflect your brand identity.
To choose a business name, we recommend brainstorming a list of keywords that describe your business. Once you have a good selection of words, try playing around with them to create something catchy and unique. You can also use a tool like Wordoid to generate creative business name ideas.
As for your logo, this is an opportunity to be really creative! Think about what kind of image you want to portray and consider using symbols or colors that reflect your brand values. If you’re not confident in your design skills, there are plenty of online logo makers that can help you create a professional-looking logo without breaking the bank.
Once you’ve settled on a name and logo, it’s time to move on to step two…
Step 2: Developing a Marketing Strategy
Now that you have a name and logo, it’s time to start thinking about your marketing strategy. After all, this is what will help you to reach your target audience and promote your brand effectively.
The thing is, before you can create a marketing strategy, you need to know a few key details. Specifically, you need to thoroughly understand:
- Who your audience/target market is
- Come up with a value proposition
- Know what the mission and core values are for your event planning business
- Figure out your brand personality
- Develop memorable brand assets (and then incorporate them into all of your materials)
So, before we dive into marketing, let’s first take a look at each of the items listed above:
Who Is Your Audience/Target Market?
This is a crucial question to answer before you start marketing your event planning business. After all, you need to know who you’re trying to reach in order to create content that resonates with them.
For instance, are you targeting corporate clients? Or are you more focused on weddings and other social events?
Other examples of potential target markets include (but aren’t limited to):
- Local businesses
- Non-profit organizations
- Religious groups/churches
- Schools and universities
- Private clients
- Wedding clients
- Funerals
- Clients interested in destination events
- Clients interested in high-end, luxury events
- Budget-conscious clients, etc.
Once you’ve identified your target market, it will be much easier to create marketing materials that appeal to them.
What Is Your Value Proposition?
Next, your value proposition is a statement that explains what makes your event planning business unique and why potential clients should choose you over the competition. In other words, it’s your chance to sell yourself!
To create a strong value proposition, you need to first understand what your target market is looking for (per the previous tip). Once you know this, you can highlight the features and benefits of your business that align with their needs. For example, let’s say you’re targeting corporate clients who are looking for an experienced event planner who can handle all the details of their upcoming conference.
In this case, your value proposition might be something like:
“At ABC Events, we have over 20 years of experience planning successful conferences. We’ll work closely with you to understand your specific needs and then take care of every last detail – from booking the venue to arranging transportation and accommodations. With ABC Events, you can relax and enjoy your conference without having to worry about a thing!”
As you can see, this value proposition is tailored specifically to corporate clients who are looking for an experienced event planner. It highlights some of the key features and benefits that would be most important to this target market.
What Are Your Mission and Core Values?
Your mission statement is a brief description of what your event planning business does. It should be clear, concise, and easy to understand. As for your core values, these are the beliefs that guide everything you do as a company. They should be reflected in all of your actions, decisions, and relationships.
For example, some possible core values for an event planning business could be:
- Creativity: “We always think outside the box to come up with unique ideas that will make your event truly special.”
- Flexibility: “We understand that things can change at the last minute and we’re always prepared to adjust accordingly.”
- Attention to detail: “No detail is too small—we’ll make sure every aspect of your event is taken care of down to the smallest details.”
- Professionalism: “We believe in conducting ourselves in a professional manner at all times.”
- Passion: “We’re passionate about what we do and it shows in our work.”
Developing a mission statement and list of core values is a great exercise for any business, as it can help you clarify what you stand for and what you want to be known for.
What is Your Brand Personality?
Your brand personality is the way your event planning business is perceived by the public. In other words, it’s your company’s “personality”.
For example, are you fun and approachable? Serious and professional? Quirky and unique?
Your brand personality should be reflected in all of your marketing materials—from your website and social media accounts to your email newsletters and print brochures.
One way to determine your brand personality is to consider how you want people to feel when they think of your company. Do you want them to feel inspired? Relaxed? Excited? Once you’ve pinpointed the desired feeling, you can start brainstorming ways to convey that through your branding.
Let’s say you want people to feel inspired when they think of your event planning business. In this case, you might use creative imagery and uplifting copy in your marketing materials. Alternatively, if you want people to feel relaxed when they think of your company, you might use calming colors and fonts, as well as serene images.
Choosing the right brand personality is an important part of branding your event planning business. After all, you want people to have a positive association with your company—and the right personality can go a long way towards achieving that goal!
If you want a better idea of what we mean, here are 16 awesome examples of popular brand personalities!
What Are Your Brand Assets?
Now that you know what your brand personality is, it’s time to start thinking about your brand assets. These are the physical elements that make up your branding—from your logo and color palette to your fonts and tagline.
Your Business Logo
Your logo is one of the most important elements of your branding. It’s often the first thing people will see when they come across your company, so it’s important to make a good impression!
Here are a few tips for designing an effective logo:
– Keep it simple: A complex logo can be difficult to remember and reproduce. Stick to a simplified design that people will be able to easily recall.
– Make it memorable: A great logo should be eye-catching and memorable. Think about how you can make your logo stand out from the rest.
– Use high-quality visuals: A poorly designed logo can damage your brand’s credibility. Make sure to use high-quality visuals that will look good both in print and online.
Your Color Palette
Your color palette is another important aspect of your branding. The colors you choose should be reflective of your brand personality—for example, if you want your brand to be seen as fun and approachable, you might use brighter, more playful colors. Alternatively, if you want your brand to be seen as professional and trustworthy, you might stick to a more muted color palette.
Your Business Fonts
When choosing fonts, it’s important to consider both readability and style. You want people to be able to easily read any text that includes your fonts, but you also want the fonts to be in keeping with your brand personality.
For example, if you want your brand to be seen as fun and quirky, you might use a more unique font. Alternatively, if you want your brand to be seen as professional and trustworthy, you might stick to a more classic font.
Your Tagline
Your tagline is another important element of your branding. A great tagline should be reflective of your brand personality and mission—it should be concise, memorable, and attention-grabbing.
Here are a few examples of popular taglines:
- “Just do it” (Nike)
- “The power of dreams” (Honda)
- “Think different” (Apple)
- “Make it real” (Levi’s)
As you can see, a great tagline can be an effective way to communicate what your brand is all about.
Marketing Your Event Planning Business Brand
Okay, now that we’ve covered all of that, let’s circle back to what Step 2 is really about: marketing your brand. Marketing is how you communicate your brand to the world; how you let people know who you are, what you do, and why they should care.
But these days, with so many different marketing options at your disposal, how can you possibly know which ones will work best for you?
If you’ve never developed a marketing strategy before, this step might feel a little daunting at first glance. But don’t worry—we’ll break it down for you!
Here are a few essential questions to answer when developing your marketing strategy:
- Who is your target audience?
- What are your marketing goals?
- What marketing channels will you use to reach your target audience?
- How much money are you willing to spend on marketing?
- How often will you update your marketing materials?
By answering these questions, you’ll have a much better idea of how to market your event planning business.
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Step 3: Create Compelling Content That Showcases Your Event Planning Expertise
Now that you’ve got the foundation of your branding sorted out, and you have a good idea of how you’ll want to market that brand, it’s time to start creating content that will showcase your skills/talent.
Content marketing is a great way to attract new clients and build trust with potential customers. By creating high-quality content that is relevant to your target audience, you’ll be able to position yourself as an expert in the event planning industry.
Not sure where to start? Here are a few content ideas to get you started:
- How-to guides and other blog articles
- Get Ready With Me (GRWM) social media posts
- Behind the scenes pics and videos
- Industry news roundups
- Event planning tips and tricks
- Case studies
- Client testimonials/reviews
Remember, the goal here is to create content that will be helpful and informative for your target audience. Furthermore, your content should always be fresh, unique, and 100% your own. If you can do that, you’re well on your way to becoming a trusted event planning resource!
Step 4: Promote Your Brand
Last but not least, you need to focus on promotion. After all, even the strongest brand in the world won’t mean anything if it’s not actually seen. Ultimately, the only way to ensure your brand is successful is to promote it effectively.
As we touched on back in Step 2, there are a ton of different marketing channels you can use to reach your target audience and promote your brand. Some popular channels include:
- Social media: Use social media to share your brand’s story and connect with potential customers.
- Your business website: Make sure your website is reflective of your brand personality and mission.
- Search engine optimization (SEO): Use SEO to ensure your website appears as high as possible in search engine results pages—this will help you attract more website visitors.
- Content marketing: Use blog posts, eBooks, and other content to educate people about your brand and build trust.
- Email marketing: Use email to stay in touch with your past clients and followers, and promote your latest products and services.
- Paid advertising: Use paid ads to reach a wider audience and drive traffic to your website.
- Print advertising: Use print ads to reach people who might not be using the internet—for example, you could place ads in local newspapers or magazines.
- Public relations: Use PR to get your brand featured in the media and build up buzz.
Which channels you use to promote your event planning business will depend on your budget, your target audience, and your goals. The important thing is to be strategic about it. Meaning, choose the channels that will allow you to reach your target audience most effectively!
Branding An Event Planning Business Online
In today’s world of technology, we’d be doing you a massive disservice if we didn’t also talk about the important digital elements of branding your business online. Just like your offline branding efforts, your online branding should be consistent, professional, and reflective of your brand personality.
Some examples of digital branding include (but again, aren’t limited to):
Your Website
Your business website is often the first point of contact between you and a potential customer. After all, there’s a good chance that they found you by doing a Google search and then clicking on your website (and going into the experience blind). Therefore, it’s important to make sure your website is up-to-date, easy to navigate, and informative.
In terms of incorporating your brand on your site, make sure your website’s design is consistent with the rest of your branding materials (e.g., business cards, flyers, etc.). Furthermore, be sure to use your brand’s colors, fonts, logo, and any other assets throughout your website. Doing so will help create a cohesive and professional look that will leave a lasting impression on your visitors.
Your Social Media Accounts
In addition to your website, your social media accounts are likely one of the first places potential customers will go to learn more about your brand. Therefore, it’s important to make sure your social media accounts are up-to-date and consistent with the rest of your branding.
Some examples of ways you can do this include:
- Creating a cohesive look by using the same colors, fonts, logo, etc. on all of your social media accounts.
- Filling out your bio and profile information completely on each platform.
- Regularly sharing high-quality content that is relevant to your brand and target audience.
- Engaging with other users in a professional manner.
By following these steps, you can help ensure your social media accounts make a positive impression on potential customers.
Your Email Signature
Your email signature is another digital branding element that you likely use on a daily basis (whether you realize it or not). Therefore, it’s important to make sure your email signature is professional and reflective of your brand.
Some examples of ways you can do this include:
- Including your logo, website address, and social media links in your email signature.
- Using the same colors, fonts, and design elements that you use in the rest of your branding.
- Keeping your signature simple and to the point.
Event Marketplaces and/or Aggregates
Event marketplaces (like Eventbrite, Bizzabo, and Meetup) and/or aggregates (like Google My Business) are another important part of branding your event planning business online. Creating complete and accurate listings on these platforms is crucial for helping potential customers find your events. Furthermore, taking the time to add high-quality photos, descriptions, and other relevant information to your listings can also help you create a more professional and polished look for your brand.
Social Media Influencers
Social media influencers (whether macro or micro) can also be a valuable asset when it comes to branding your event planning business online. By teaming up with relevant influencers in your industry, you can help promote your brand to a wider audience and further solidify your place in the market.
Of course, working with social media influencers is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. Therefore, it’s important to take the time to carefully research and vet potential influencers before you commit to working with them.
Here are some examples of things you should look for when researching influencers:
- An engaged and active audience that is relevant to your brand/target market.
- A consistent posting schedule.
- High-quality content that is in line with your brand’s values.
- A positive reputation both online and offline.
Don’t forget that when you approach them with a collaboration proposition, it’s not enough to have in mind what they can offer you. Likewise, you need to know the ways in which teaming up with you will benefit them. For instance, will you be able to help them reach a new audience? Provide them with valuable content? Offer them compensation?
Keep all of this in mind when reaching out to social media influencers and you’ll be sure to find the right partnerships for your brand.
Local Media In Your Town/City
Lastly, if you’re planning events in a specific location, working with local media outlets can also be a great way to promote your brand. Of course, the opportunities for doing this will vary depending on the size of your town/city and the type of events you’re planning.
Some examples of ways you can work with local media outlets include:
- Submitting press releases for your upcoming events.
- Sending out media advisories to let them know about last-minute changes or important details about your events.
- Inviting members of the media to attend and cover your events.
Of course, working with local media is not always an option (especially if you’re planning events in multiple cities or towns). However, if it’s something that’s available to you, it’s definitely worth taking advantage of.
Creating an Event Planning Brand Onsite
In addition to all of the digital branding elements we’ve discussed so far, it’s also important to create a strong brand for your event planning business on-site. After all, this is likely where potential customers will have the most direct interaction with your brand.
Some examples of ways you can do this include:
- Making sure your staff is properly trained and knowledgeable about your brand.
- Set up a photobooth that shows off elements of your branding (such as your logo and business name) in the background, and encourage guests to take photos of themselves.
- You can also then encourage attendees to share those photos on their social media, perhaps also using a branded hashtag of your choosing.
- Creating branded swag bags and/or promotional items to give away at your events.
- Using branded event decor and signage to help create a cohesive look and feel for your event space.
- Incorporate your brand story into the event’s food and drinks.
- From the welcome and exit signs to every moment of the timeline in-between, use branding signage throughout the event (when possible).
- If your event offers attendees a map and/or agenda, reflect your branding in those as well.
What if It’s a Client’s Event—and Not Your Own?
Of course, as an event planner, you will likely also be planning events for other people or businesses—not just your own. So what then? How can you still promote your brand when it’s not technically your event?
Here are a few ideas:
- Make sure your contact information is included in all event materials (such as the event website, program, etc.).
- If you’re able to, include your logo on event materials as well.
- Make sure your staff is representing your brand in a positive light and providing excellent customer service.
- Encourage attendees to take photos at the event and share them on social media using a branded hashtag.
As much as possible, try to incorporate your brand’s style and aesthetic into the event decor and design.
Branding Onsite During Event Conferences and Tradeshows
Moreover, if you frequently attend events, conferences, and tradeshows related to your industry, take advantage of those opportunities to promote your brand as well.
Here are a few ideas:
- Make sure your booth or table is branded with your logo, business name, and/or website URL.
- If you’re handing out any promotional materials (such as brochures, business cards, etc.), make sure they’re branded with your logo and contact information.
- Encourage attendees to take photos at your booth/table and share them on social media using a branded hashtag.
- You can also offer a giveaway or contest that requires attendees to follow you on social media and/or sign up for your email list.
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At the end of the day, by taking the time to focus on both digital and on-site branding, you can create a well-rounded brand for your event planning business that’ll help you attract new customers and stand out from the competition in a BIG way!
Conclusion
Branding your event planning business doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By following 4 steps in this article, as well as the additional tips provided, you’ll be well on your way to creating a strong brand that’ll help you attract new customers and grow your business for years to come!
Do you have any questions about branding your event planning business? Let us know in the comments below, as we always love to hear from you.
Thanks for reading—and happy branding!
